Taliban Executes 7 Year Old Boy, Accusing Him Of Spying

So despicable. Your Thoughts?

The Challenges To Saudi Women’s Automony

Last fall Nesrine Malik discussed the repressive guardianship laws in Saudi Arabia and challenged the thinking of a female Saudi journalist who thinks Sharia and Islam are the routes to women’s liberation: When living in Saudi Arabia, every time I wanted to travel outside the kingdom I had to produce a piece of paper from my [...]

Tony Blair On Our Allies Who Live Within Theocracies

Michael Shermer got the chance to ask Tony Blair how we spread various central Western ideals of democracy, education, civil liberties, equality, etc. in hostile theocratic countries without resorting to military force.  Part of Blair’s answer: “It’s one of the great myths perpetrated in our own societies is that somehow people who live in oppressive [...]

Cynically Insane Demagogue Gives Commencement Speech

Here is Glenn Beck at Liberty University from May 15: Your Thoughts?

Pakistan Blocks Access To Facebook Over “Draw Mohammed Day”

Out of solidarity with the recently threatened South Park creators, tomorrow will be “Draw Mohammed Day”, an international day of defiance and protest by secularists against religious extremists’ attempts to silence free expression through death threats.  A Facebook group was created advertising this event.  Pakistan considers Facebook‘s willingness to allow such free speech so inappropriate [...]

Saudi Girls Pepper Spray Religious Enforcers

On the heals of the story we highlighted the other day in which a Saudi Woman attacked a member of the Saudi Commision for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice for harassing her over her clothing, Ashaq Al-Awsat reports another heartening incident along the same lines: Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat- Members of Khobar’s Commission [...]

Saudi Woman Beats Up “Virtue Cop”

The Jerusalem Post reports: When a Saudi religious policeman sauntered about an amusement park in the eastern Saudi Arabian city of Al-Mubarraz looking for unmarried couples illegally socializing, he probably wasn’t expecting much opposition. But when he approached a young, 20-something couple meandering through the park together, he received an unprecedented whooping. A member of the Commission for the [...]

Sarah Palin And Her Naked Theocratic Intentions

I keep wanting to give a thorough response to every bit of ignorance, revisionism, corruption, self-contradiction, condescension, unfounded persecution complex, hypocrisy, and philosophical crudity in this video, coming not only from Sarah Palin but also from Bill O’Reilly, but each line from both of them is so packed with them, that I keep getting overwhelmed [...]

Thomas Jefferson vs. Sarah Palin

Keith Olbermann compares the two great American leaders’ views of God and state: Your Thoughts?

Scott Lively, American Who Fomented Ugandan Homophobia

From Box Turtle Bulletin we get this chilling and revealing video of Scott Lively’s presentation to a Ugandan audience that Lively afterward bragged was a “nuclear bomb.” Here’s just a brief quote from the video which illustrates the depths of his sick, hateful vilification of gays: These are men who don’t have anything…they are so [...]

He Came From A Very Good Christian Family

Maurice Clemmons, the murderer shot and killed in Seattle today years ago had his sentence famously commuted by Governor Mike Huckabee, who we all know makes no bones about his desire to base U.S. law on his perception of God’s law.  Here’s some of his Christian judgment about who deserves mercy under such laws: Clemmons [...]

Ross Douthat Claims Arguments Against Gay Marriage Lose Because They’re Just “Too Abstract”

Ross Douthat half admits to the intellectual bankruptcy of his opposition of to same-sex marriage and then tacitly demonstrates it with his pathetic reply when pushed to address the topic last month at the New School: “I am someone opposed to gay marriage who is deeply uncomfortable arguing the issue in public.” Mr. Douthat indicated [...]

Maine And Abominations To God

Blaghag is impressed with Maine’s biblical stance on homosexuality and can’t wait for them to follow through on the implications of these verses from Leviticus and Deuteronomy next: 9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, [...]

ZJ On Mormons And Civil Liberties

Everyone should see this video: Your Thoughts?

Gay Marriage = Religious Freedom

Another great video from before the inception of Camels With Hammers worth catching up on in case you missed it.  This one is from robtish, who has other terrific videos on his youtube channel. It’s not just a cheerleading or general argument video but an in-depth information video with a bunch of important facts refuting some [...]

Convincing Muslims America’s On A Crusade

Chris Rodda has ten great tips on how we can do it! via Friendly Atheist Your Thoughts?

Michael Newdow vs. Megyn Kelly On The Pledge And “Under God”

A good debate: Your Thoughts?

Vatican Snubs Kennedy Over Inconsistent Fielty

One can understand cool feelings and justifiably harsh moral judgments of Ted Kennedy over his behaior at Chappiquiddick.   But the Roman Catholic Church apparently takes more offense at his political independence of itself.  The pope has yet to issue any statement in the wake of Kennedy’s death and when Obama hand delivered a letter [...]

Kentucky Homeland Security Was Required To Credit Almighty God In Their Official Reports

Unbelievably brazen, I cannot believe it took 3 years to strike down this baldly unconstitutional law: A judge on Wednesday struck down a 2006 state law that required the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to stress “dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the commonwealth.” Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate ruled [...]

Disturbing First Hand Account Of Our Christianist Military

Via Unreasonable Faith, comes this piece written by an Army Officer and West Point graduate.   Reading this has boiled my blood like nothing in a long time: During my second year at the West Point, my Squad Leader for summer training expressed disapproval on numerous occasions with my being Jewish, and, during one mission, [...]

Interview With Journalist Threatened With 40 Lashes

Her crime:  wearing trousers. via Atheist Media Blog

Dawkins Takes Questions

Interesting (and right) as always.  Particular bits of note, he remarks on Christianity’s infinite flexibility in interpretation (which makes sophisticated Christians impossible to argue with since they are constantly morphing what they mean, but which is at least preferable to the worst rigidifcations of dogma, as you would get from Islam).  He also discusses the greater [...]

Fascism + Racism

Analyzing the despicable e-mail from Boston police officer Justin Barrett that contained these true colors: Your defense of Gates while he is on the phone while being confronted [INDEED] with a police officer is assuming he has rights when considered a suspect. He is a suspect and always will be a suspect. His first priority [...]

Why Should Someone Else’s Faith Trump My Reason?

An excellent case for anti-theism from a Daily Dish reader: Though I would like to believe that I am a tolerant, open-minded person, it seems likely that I fall into the “anti-theist” category of atheists. I would not choose that label for myself, but it describes my attitude more or less. My strong feelings on [...]

Teenagers’ Limbs Cut Off For Stealing

as a crowd of 300 men, women, and children watched: Somalia’s capital Mogadishu was witness, Thursday, to the public amputation of the left leg and right hand from each of four thieves.  They were all teenagers, about seventeen years old. The thieves, were convicted of stealing some mobile phones and two guns by a Whahbist [...]